Webinar Recap: Respiratory Infections in a Post-Pandemic World – Challenges and Opportunities
- Praise Saint-john
- Jul 27
- 2 min read
July 10, 2025
On July 10, 2025, the Infectious Disease Alliance (IDA) hosted the global webinar: “Respiratory Infections in a Post-Pandemic World: Challenges and Opportunities” bringing together leading public health professionals, clinical researchers, and global policy voices to examine the future of respiratory health in a world reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event explored how we can move beyond fragmented emergency responses to build more resilient, equitable, and integrated systems for tackling respiratory threats, particularly tuberculosis (TB), RSV, influenza, and post-COVID conditions.
Key Topics
Social determinants and structural barriers to TB care
Real-time surveillance and pandemic preparedness
Equity in respiratory health policy and service delivery
Community-based diagnostics and integrated screening approaches
Speakers
Dr. Tom Wingfield, Reader in Tuberculosis and Social Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
→ “Addressing the social determinants and consequences of tuberculosis: an evidence update”
→ “Start4All: Bringing TB screening and diagnosis closer to the point of need”
Prof. Cheryl Cohen, Professor of Epidemiology, University of the Witwatersrand / Head of CRDM, NICD South Africa
→ “Leveraging South Africa’s surveillance platforms for real-time pandemic research and vaccine evaluation”
Dr. Mustapha Gidado, Executive Director, KNCV TB Plus
→ “Global Health & Equity – From Pandemic Panic to Sustainable Preparedness”
Highlights & Takeaways
TB and Social Protection
Dr. Wingfield emphasized that social protection interventions—like food support, transport subsidies, and psychosocial care—are not just supportive measures but essential enablers of effective TB care. He shared insights from the Start4All study and stressed the need for community-driven and integrated diagnostics to reach underserved populations.
Surveillance as a Foundation for Preparedness
Prof. Cohen discussed how South Africa rapidly adapted existing surveillance platforms for COVID-19, enabling timely policy decisions, real-time variant tracking, and vaccine effectiveness studies. She underscored the importance of long-term investment in adaptable surveillance systems.
Equity in Preparedness
Dr. Gidado called for shifting from reactive health responses to sustained investment in preparedness, rooted in equity. He highlighted the fragility of health systems exposed during COVID-19 and warned that the failure to embed TB and respiratory care into routine services risks repeating past mistakes.
Q&A Session
The Q&A offered rich exchanges between speakers and participants. Topics included:
Operationalizing social protection at scale (Dr. Wingfield)
Translating real-time research into actionable policy (Prof. Cohen)
Ensuring that innovation does not leave behind high-burden, low-resource settings (Dr. Gidado)
Designing surveillance systems that are both responsive and inclusive
Key Statistics
Registered participants: 138
Live attendees: 51
Geographic reach: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America
Looking Ahead
IDA is committed to sustaining this momentum by:
Sharing a full event report and session recording
Engaging partners in a respiratory health collaboration network
Exploring joint programming with KNCV TB Plus and other stakeholders
Hosting future dialogues on diagnostics, equity, and respiratory system integration
Call to Action
The Infectious Disease Alliance urges stakeholders to:
Embed respiratory infection care into primary health systems
Invest in equitable, community-led diagnostic strategies
Strengthen real-time surveillance capacity globally
Support integrated research on long COVID, TB, RSV, and influenza
Align global policy with regional implementation for sustainable preparedness
Sign the Call to Action! Together, we can move from reflection to resilience, from pandemic panic to long-term preparedness.
Watch the Recording:
Check the Webinar Report:
Comments